E Minor Banjo Chords and Chord Progressions

The key of E minor has one sharp. For reference, here are the notes in the E minor scale:

  • E
  • F Sharp
  • G
  • A
  • B
  • C
  • D

All the chords in the key of E minor are made up of these seven notes, and each note gets to be the root note for one of the chords, thus making seven triad chords in this key.

  • E Minor
  • F Sharp Diminished
  • G Major
  • A Minor
  • B Minor
  • C Major
  • D Major

Note: In this article I’m using banjo chord charts that I created using Microsoft Paint. Here are all the banjo chord charts that are free to use personally and commercially under Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY) 4.0 License.

i Chord — E Minor or E Minor Seventh

The first chord (i) in the key of E minor is the E minor chord. Below is my preferred way to play the E minor chord on banjo.

E Minor chord chart for banjo

The E minor seventh chord is the corresponding 7th chord for the i chord in the key of E minor. Below is my favorite way to play the E minor seventh chord.

E Minor Seventh chord chart for banjo

iidim Chord — F Sharp Diminished or F Sharp Minor Seventh Flat Five

The second chord (iidim) in the key of E minor is the F sharp diminished chord. Below is my preferred way to play the F sharp diminished chord on banjo.

F Sharp Diminished chord chart for banjo

The F sharp minor seventh flat five chord is the corresponding 7th chord for the iidim chord in the key of E minor. Below is my favorite way to play the F sharp minor seventh flat five chord.

F Sharp Minor Seventh Flat Five chord chart for banjo

III Chord — G Major or G Major Seventh

The third chord (III) in the key of E minor is the G major chord. Below is my preferred way to play the G major chord on banjo.

G Major chord chart for banjo

The G major seventh chord is the corresponding 7th chord for the III chord in the key of E minor. Below is my favorite way to play the G major seventh chord.

G Major Seventh chord chart for banjo

iv Chord — A Minor or A Minor Seventh

The fourth chord (iv) in the key of E minor is the A minor chord. Below is my preferred way to play the A minor chord on banjo.

A Minor chord chart for banjo

The A minor seventh chord is the corresponding 7th chord for the iv chord in the key of E minor. Below is my favorite way to play the A minor seventh chord.

A Minor Seventh chord chart for banjo

v Chord — B Minor or B Minor Seventh

The fifth chord (v) in the key of E minor is the B minor chord. Below is my preferred way to play the B minor chord on banjo.

B Minor chord chart for banjo

The B minor seventh chord is the corresponding 7th chord for the v chord in the key of E minor. Below is my favorite way to play the B minor seventh chord.

B Minor Seventh chord chart for banjo

VI Chord — C Major or C Major Seventh

The sixth chord (VI) in the key of E minor is the C major chord. Below is my preferred way to play the C major chord on banjo.

C Major chord chart for banjo

The C major seventh chord is the corresponding 7th chord for the VI chord in the key of E minor. Below is my favorite way to play the C major seventh chord.

C Major Seventh chord chart for banjo

VII Chord — D Major or D Dominant Seventh

The seventh chord (VII) in the key of E minor is the D major chord. Below is my preferred way to play the D major chord on banjo.

D Major chord chart for banjo

The D dominant seventh chord is the corresponding 7th chord for the VII chord in the key of E minor. Below is my favorite way to play the D dominant seventh chord.

D Dominant Seventh chord chart for banjo

Chord Progressions in the Key of E Minor

Here are 10 chord progressions in the key of E Minor that you can experiment with. I have included banjo tablature to make playing the chords easier for you.

1. E Minor, A Minor, B Minor

D| --9---9-----2---2-----4---4---
B| --8---8-----1---1-----3---3---
G| --9---9-----2---2-----4---4---
D| --9---9-----2---2-----4---4---
G| ------------------------------

2. E Minor, A Minor, C Major, B Minor

D| --9---9-----2---2-----5---5-----4---4---
B| --8---8-----1---1-----5---5-----3---3---
G| --9---9-----2---2-----5---5-----4---4---
D| --9---9-----2---2-----5---5-----4---4---
G| ----------------------------------------

3. E Minor, C Major, G Major, A Minor

D| --9---9-----5---5-----0---0-----2---2---
B| --8---8-----5---5-----0---0-----1---1---
G| --9---9-----5---5-----0---0-----2---2---
D| --9---9-----5---5-----0---0-----2---2---
G| ----------------------------------------

4. E Minor, D Major, C Major

D| --9---9-----7---7-----5---5---
B| --8---8-----7---7-----5---5---
G| --9---9-----7---7-----5---5---
D| --9---9-----7---7-----5---5---
G| ------------------------------

5. E Minor, A Minor, G Major, C Major

D| --9---9-----2---2-----0---0-----5---5---
B| --8---8-----1---1-----0---0-----5---5---
G| --9---9-----2---2-----0---0-----5---5---
D| --9---9-----2---2-----0---0-----5---5---
G| ----------------------------------------

6. E Minor, F Sharp Diminished, B Minor, E Minor

D| --9---9-----10--10----4---4-----9---9---
B| --8---8-----10--10----3---3-----8---8---
G| --9---9-----11--11----4---4-----9---9---
D| --9---9-----10--10----4---4-----9---9---
G| ----------------------------------------

7. C Major, D Major, E Minor

D| --5---5-----7---7-----9---9---
B| --5---5-----7---7-----8---8---
G| --5---5-----7---7-----9---9---
D| --5---5-----7---7-----9---9---
G| ------------------------------

8. E Minor, C Major, G Major, D Major

D| --9---9-----5---5-----0---0-----7---7---
B| --8---8-----5---5-----0---0-----7---7---
G| --9---9-----5---5-----0---0-----7---7---
D| --9---9-----5---5-----0---0-----7---7---
G| ----------------------------------------

9. E Minor, C Major, E Minor, C Major

D| --9---9-----5---5-----9---9-----5---5---
B| --8---8-----5---5-----8---8-----5---5---
G| --9---9-----5---5-----9---9-----5---5---
D| --9---9-----5---5-----9---9-----5---5---
G| ----------------------------------------

10. E Minor, B Minor, E Minor, A Minor

D| --9---9-----4---4-----9---9-----2---2---
B| --8---8-----3---3-----8---8-----1---1---
G| --9---9-----4---4-----9---9-----2---2---
D| --9---9-----4---4-----9---9-----2---2---
G| ----------------------------------------

11. E Minor, G Major, D Major, E Minor

D| --9---9-----0---0-----7---7-----9---9---
B| --8---8-----0---0-----7---7-----8---8---
G| --9---9-----0---0-----7---7-----9---9---
D| --9---9-----0---0-----7---7-----9---9---
G| ----------------------------------------

12. E Minor, C Major, G Major, A Minor

D| --9---9-----5---5-----0---0-----2---2---
B| --8---8-----5---5-----0---0-----1---1---
G| --9---9-----5---5-----0---0-----2---2---
D| --9---9-----5---5-----0---0-----2---2---
G| ----------------------------------------

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